MOST of us think the Sixties was the defining decade of the 20th century – and a third would love to live back in those swinging years.

Six out of 10 people polled thought there was an optimism then that is missing today.

And a third believed the standard of living was higher, despite the huge technological advances that have taken place since.

The first manned moon landing in 1969 was named by 63 per cent of people to be the major milestone of the decade. But other key moments mentioned included the first single by The Beatles in 1962, the assassinations of President John F Kennedy in 1963 and civil rights leader Martin Luther King in 1968, England’s 1966 World Cup win and approval of the contraceptive pill in 1960.

The period was also remembered for Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962, the arrival of the miniskirt in 1965, the fi rst Bond movie Dr No in 1962 and the fi rst Doctor Who in 1963.

More than half the 2,000 people surveyed said the Sixties was the best decade for music, and the era of mini-skirt was also deemed best for fashion. Beatles hits were the three favourite Sixties songs listed.

Britons feel nostalgia about the music and history of the Sixties

Adrian Wills

Top was She Loves You, with Can’t Buy Me Love and I Want To Hold Your Hand joint second. Mary Poppins was voted the best fi lm, ahead of The Sound Of Music and Psycho. Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley were held to be biggest female and male icons of the age.

The survey was carried out to mark today’s launch on TV channel Yesterday of a show called The Sixties, featuring archive newsreel and analysis by historians.

Yesterday’s general manager Adrian Wills said: “Britons feel nostalgia about the music and history of the Sixties – regardless of whether we were around. Even teenagers know the signifi cance of key fi gures like The Beatles and Martin Luther King.

Few decades had such an impact. Ten tumultuous years transformed the world.” But not everyone hankered after the Sixties.

In the poll, 17 per cent wanted to return to the Seventies, 14 per cent to the Eighties, 11 per cent to the Fifties and even seven per cent to the Nineties.